The present invention is directed toward a system for replacing decorative furniture panels and more particularly, toward decorative panels which may be replaced easily and as often as desired by the consumer in order to change the appearance of his or her furniture.
People often desire a change in the motif or appearance of their furniture. In particular, people often change the look of their bedroom. Also, as children grow older their likes and dislikes change. In addition, styles frequently change over the years. Thus, while the child""s furniture itself may be still be serviceable, the decor for an infant may not be suitable for a young child or adolescent. The problem however, is that it may not be very economical to change furniture as often as a person desires, especially when the furniture is still in good condition.
Several patents suggest systems for changing the look of certain pieces of furniture. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,647 to Schneider et al. discloses a replaceable panel for various types of furniture. This patent discloses components for furniture which comprise a plurality of frame components and at least one panel which is received within the frame component. The panels may be changed in order to alter the appearance of the furniture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,375 to Santo discloses decorative panels which slide into or out of support channels on a waterbed frame in order to change its decor. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,031 to Hayman-Chaffey discloses a table with a decorative insert that can be slid into or out of a groove for changing the appearance of the tabletop.
While the patents discussed above provide for various ways to change the appearance of various pieces of furniture, they appear to be rather cumbersome and not very simple to accomplish. Therefore, a need exists for a system of changing the panels of various pieces of furniture in a simple manner thereby allowing the same to be accomplished by the average unskilled homeowner.
The present invention is designed to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple system for replacing furniture panels.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for replacing decorative furniture panels so that the look of the furniture may be changed easily.
In accordance with the illustrative embodiments demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention, there are provided furniture panels which may be replaced easily and as often as desired by the consumer. The system includes a frame secured to a piece of furniture and a panel which may be inserted or otherwise slid into the frame and easily secured therein.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the drawings.